What is Roadschooling?

Roadschooling is exactly what is sounds like. Taking your school on the road! Traditional schooling happens in a classroom, but homeschooling can happen anywhere. Why not on the road where you can learn about things in context? Growing up in a traditional school environment, field trips were some of the most memorable experiences. There is something magical about learning when you are surrounded by the very things/experiences you are learning about. Yes, it is true that there are some people who can read about something in a book and remember it forever, but the reality is the majority of us cannot. Most of us learn best when we can learn with all our senses. Roadschooling allows for us to see, smell, taste, touch, and feel, therefore deepening our brains ability to retain information. 

Although some Roadschooling families use traditional textbook curriculums with workbooks and tests, others have adopted an Unschooling approach. Unschooling involves using daily experiences and contexts to direct the learning process. There are no formal curriculums, however books and other resources are used regularly when a child’s curiosity is sparked by something to promote ongoing learning. Check out our friends over at Mamasaynamaste where they share about their unschooling approach.

Many of us Roadschoolers fall somewhere in the middle of these two spectrums, but we all have something in common.  We all use our changing environments to teach our kids everything from history and science to business and sociology, as well as, life skills and anything in between!

It is all about the mindset and intentionality when you visit new places or meet new people. Think ‘tourist mentality’ with an emphasis on “What can I learn here? Who can I learn from?” Then follow it up with “How does what I just learned affect me? Is there something else I can do to learn more, to get better at this skill? …. to accomplish that same thing? Are there other place I can go to learn more on this subject? A book I can read? A video I can watch? A local park?…. and so on.

We have found that some of the best environments for learning and sparking curiosity are those that are directly related to what it is we are learning. For example: learning about early American History? Take a trip to Philadelphia to see where the Declaration of Independence was signed. Are your kids really into dinosaurs? Take a trip to Dinosaur Valley State Park in TX where there are dinosaur prints on the hiking trails. If these places are too far, search locally for places with related features like a local historian or a nearby park or museum. Finding an ‘expert source’ is a gold mine for learning. Who better to learn from than someone who has dedicated their life to a specific topic or skill? Who better to teach about the night sky than the astronomer at the observatory, or  about prehistoric mammoths than from the paleontologist who has spent her life studying them?

Do I have to travel Full-time to Roadschool?

Often Roadschooling is associated with people that travel full-time and live in an RV or some type of mobile home. However, this is not entirely true. You don’t have to travel full-time, like we do, to enjoy the benefits of Roadschooling. As mentioned above, field trips are a great way to learn on the road. Look for places near where you live that can offer you and your child(ren) a unique experience. Don’t just stop with Science Museums and Zoos. Do you know someone who has a small business? Ask them if they will share how they make it work and what goes into running a business. Do you know someone who is awesome at sewing? See if they will teach your child some basics in sewing. How about someone who loves to garden? Maybe they could teach your kids about the basics of caring for plants, propagating seeds, or cultivating a garden. Are you starting to get the idea?

Roadschooling is learning where you are from the people and places around you. Someone who loves what they are doing is usually more than willing to talk to others about it. So find people who love what they do and ask them to share it with your child. Before we hit the road fulltime, we lived in a regular sticks and bricks house. We really didn’t do much traveling (except to visit family), but we made use of what was around us. Some of the things my kids (and myself!) remember the most are the times when we had impromptu ‘lessons’ from a friend or neighbor. One neighbor has hobbies as a storm chaser and a coin collector. So one day he had us all over and gave us a tour of his souped up truck that he uses for chasing. He taught us about the radars and methods used to track the weather and to communicate with others on the road. On a different day, he had our oldest son over to teach him about basic coin collecting. The kids had received some old coins from their great-grandfather, and he explained how to properly examine coins and determine value. A different neighbor spent evenings on the porch explaining the basics of guitar playing to our daughter, while yet another taught us all about Texas native plants. Again, all of this occurred when we weren't traveling, but they all literally happened on the road (or the front porch, sidewalk, backyard). We all have people around us that have different passions, talents and life experiences that we can learn from. It’s like Mister Rogers! These are the people in my neighborhood, let’s see how they do what they do!

What do others say about Roadschooling?

We reached out to some other full-time travel families that homeschool on the road. See what they have to say about roadschooling by clicking on the links below.

Meet the Moorhouse Family and see what they have to say about roadschooling at ‘Family Adventure for All’

Over at FaithJoyRide Mila shares what schooling on the road looks like for her family.

As mentioned above Mamasaynamaste.com is a great resource for all things unschooling. They also have great resources for those interested in making the lifestyle change to full-time living on the road. Here are a few of their resources:

90 day road trip

Personal coaching for Full-time Newbies

So, what do you think? Are your ready to give it a try? We would love to hear from you and to help out in any way we can. Email us with your questions or comment below. Roadschooling is fun and educational for the whole family!

Do you Roadschool already? What does it look like for you? Leave a comment and share your routine with us below! We enjoy connecting with other families on the road and would love a chance to connect with you!

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